Cry me my over priced ticket back

By Yvonne Reddin | September 28, 2010.

By Yvonne Reddin

Michael Buble

Having been a Buble fan since he exploded onto the music scene I had yet to see him live, but my expectations were very high and I was predicting a big show in the Aviva stadium on Friday night. On my way into Lansdowne I felt like I was in the Boots “Here come the girls” commercial while on the dart. The atmosphere was electric and that was just on the way amid the coiffed hairdos of the crowds of thirty-something ladies.

The Aviva stadium is impressive to say the least, but may be a little too big for Michael Buble. He may have sold out two shows in minutes and is a Godto many women but there was something missing. The huge video screens for us people way up the back were malfunctioning with only a very patchy Buble on view. The opening track ‘Cry Me a River’ is exciting and mind-blowing with an explosion of fireworks at the end, but the following songs don’t quite exceed this.

He chats (quite a bit), telling the audience, “The music industry is not in the greatest shape in the world, particularly in the live business. For a Canadian kid, the son of a fisherman, to come out and play for 50,000, 100,000 people over two nights is incredible.”

“I really want to process this, to be connected to all those people; it might never happen again in my life, I can’t assume that I’m going to go on to play in a stadium again. I don’t ever want to forget these nights.” With that the full lights go on to rapturous applause and he continues to sing his songs to the hypnotised women who just can’t get enough of this star.

Halfway through the show he descends from the stage and swaggers down the middle to a smaller stage among the audience seated on the ground to belt out a few more covers. Like a swarm of ants, people arrive out of nowhere to be closer to their God and Buble is loving it, as you would. There’s no doubt Buble can sing but at ticket prices ranging from the overpriced €86 to prices well over a hundred, Buble is laughing all the way to the bank.